Brand of the Wastes
by Yamanu
Summary: Hyrule has known nothing but peace for untold centuries, the horrors of its past forgotten in time. But peace is never meant to last. When a bloody revolution begins and the Red Lions fall, the people's last hope rests on the shoulders of their newest hero, the blacksmith Link.
1. Prologue: The Blacksmith's Boy

_"You hear about the blacksmith's boy? Folks at the market been saying he's some sort of dumb mute...can't even string two words together."_

 _"Nah, you ever seen under that scarf of his? Scar as thick as my finger, right across...some sunnabitch cut that boy's voice out. My money's one of them Mogma scum, they say he used to live up by the mountain."_

 _"Goddesses above...that's barbaric."_

In the merchant's quarter of Castle Town, just past the large gates leading to the lower residential quarters, there existed a small, secluded blacksmith's shop. The owners, Mr. and Mrs. Einion, were regarded as two of Hyrule's greatest blacksmiths, often being called on for work for the Nohansen royal family. Rupees came in regularly, and by and large they were considered respectable and well off by the community, if a little too keen on solitude.

That was, of course, except for the boy.

Word traveled fast when the young boy was brought wounded and bleeding through the gates, carried on the horse of an even more severely injured cadet. The wounded rider's snow-white initiate's cloak was spotted with blood. Barreling towards the Castle, the man hadn't stopped for anything, and was quickly followed by a full formation of proper Knights, red cloaks billowing in the wind as they followed on their own horses.

Hours passed. The knights came down then, the white cloaked man notably missing from the ensemble, the small boy unconscious in their arms as they rode up to the door of the then newly married Einions, knocking loudly enough to alert the whole street.

After some talking, the boy had been carried in to the house, and was soon seen sitting behind the counter, cleaning and doing odd chores. Sometimes another boy would go to the house, but none of the neighbors wanted to pry...not after Mr. Einion had chewed the man across the street out for trying, anyway.

Eventually the other boy, seemingly a knight, stopped coming by, and now, almost fifteen years since his arrival, the boy still lived with the Einions. Still silent as the day he arrived, he worked the counter and the forge with his adoptive parents, and those who had sampled his work say he's obviously picked up their talent.

But the words still remained. The rumors. Hanging like a specter over him, a mystery nobody seems inclined to answer that hangs on the entire neighborhood's lips. br /

 _"Just **who** is that Link boy?"_


	2. Chapter 1: An Odd Fellow

The sun rose lazily over the stone parapets of Castle Town, the white clouds beginning to quicken across the sky as the life-giving breeze of Hyrule Field began to awaken. It was the beginning of summer, and the sun awoke sooner then most in Castle Town would have liked, but it was up all the same.

Behind the worn oak counter of The Red Lance, a slumbering figure sits with their head in their arms, dozing away over sheets of paper detailing different weapons and measurements, along with a few slips with a diamond shaped symbol denoting an amount of Rupees.

As the invading morning light begins to creep through the shuddered windows in the front of the shop, the sleeping boy groans and slowly begins to wake, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he groggily looks around the smithy.

Spotting nobody around, Link stands up and stretches his tired arms, a small popping sound echoing through the empty entryway. Standing slowly, he begins to walk towards the wooden stairs behind the counter, ascending carefully up to the second floor.

The attic room covers the area just above the counter, little more then a small attic area with a bed and a chest of clothes...just another piece of evidence his parents hadn't been planning on having a child when they purchased the store.

Stripping down quickly and opening the chest, Link began to change into a fresh pair of clothes, carefully pulling the long sleeved tan shirt and baggy brown trousers that made up his normal attire. Then in the half light of the attic room, he quickly mussed around with his strawberry blond hair and adjusted the ponytail in the back.

Taking the steps back down two at a time, the boy glanced around once more and walked up to the door. A few early risers were taking to the cobbled streets by now, and it was time to open.

Opening the blinds and letting more of the sunlight into room, Link closed his green-blue eyes for a moment as the golden light of morning entered with full force, causing him to wince. He'd been up too late working on the finance papers for his time at the counter, and today he'd pay  
the price.

A few minutes passed by in silence, and just as Link returned to the papers detailing their recent sales, a small jingling informed him that the door had opened. Stewing over one of the last parts of the paper below him, Link pointed up at a small wooden sign hanging over the counter.

 _Welcome to the Red Lance._

As his gaze turned up towards the door, he was greeted by a heavily cloaked figure standing in front of the counter, two black eyes peering out from under a heavy wool hood, a covering of a similar material hiding the bottom half of their face.

Lowering his eyebrows in slight concern, Link's mouth narrowed slightly as he moved his slender fingers quickly through the air in a series of exact motions.

 _You understand these?_

Silence reigned for a moment, and then the figure's hands raised to the lower covering, pulling it down to reveal the bluish white sheen of Zoran flesh, a grinning set of sharp teeth filling its mouth.

"Aye lad, that I do," came the gruff reply in a lower range. A man, probably.

Link breathed a sigh of relief, flashing more hand signals quickly. _Thank Goddesses. Makes selling easier._

The Zora chuckled at that, swinging his arms for a moment before glancing at one of the swords hanging from the wall.

"You make that one over there? That's a beut, that is," he said.

Link shook his head and chuckled himself, a bemused expression on his face as his hands danced through the air.

 _No, father. Mine not on wall. You want sword?_

The Zora shrugged and looked at the door for a moment, then turned back.

"Nah, I'm no good with your metal sticks. Give me fins any day!" A surprisingly bitter laugh came then, before the man coughed into his hand. "Well...that's sort of why I'm here, actually."

Hissing under his breath a little, the Zora began to roll up his long woolen sleeves, his eye twitching slightly as the heavy fabric brushed again his skin. As the forearms began to be exposed, Link winced himself. The flesh was torn and scarred, an ugly, deep wound on both arms. Link hadn't met many Zora before as they preferred to stay down south in Lake Hylia, but he'd met enough to know that the man's fins should have been there.

The Zora nodded, turning the arms to and fro before gently lowering the sleeves again.

"Now you...see my problem. Me fins...well, that's not important. I need new ones made. Sharp ones, for a warrior."

Link's brow furrowed and he put a hand to his chin, before removing it to speak again.

 _Can't make a fin with metal. Not flexible._

The Zora sighed and put his hands on the counter, rocking on his heels.

"I know that. Just mean something like the warrior fins, you know? Something I can  
slash with."

Link's expression turned thoughtful and he paused for a moment, the light from the windows beginning to illuminate his wheatish skin as he contemplated the Zora's particular predicament. It would require custom fitting, time to forge the weapons, as well as the time it would take to actually make the things.

After some deliberation and a quick glance at the list of orders on the counter in front of him, before raising his hands once more.

 _Fifteen days. Two Hundred Rupees._

The Zora nodded slightly and pulled out a pouch, dropping it on the table and then folded his arms carefully, trying to avoid agitating the wounds.

"Deal, kid. I'll pick 'em up then, and I've got just enough rupees in that pouch to cover it. Sounds like a deal."

Link nodded and opened the pouch, quickly counting out the rupees. All was in order.

 _Need a name. Also...what took fins?_

The Zora's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Name is Kempe. And the fins are not your business."

With that, the Zora raised the lower half of his face concealment and quickly stalked out the door, leaving Link alone with his forms. Looking down and frowning, Link wrote the name on the order form and lowered the quill, crossing his arms.

What an odd fellow.


	3. Chapter 2: The Red Lion

The week after the Zora's early morning visit had went by quickly, filled with the usual comings and goings of the regular customers, the most notable of them being a large order from Inigo Editta for horseshoes. Link and his mother Rhonwen had been working the forge when the order had been finalized, and the resulting loud hollering from Mr. Einion had almost made them drop the still-hot swords in their hands in surprise.

That night over dinner, Link's father's face was still split into an almost giddy grin, the lopsided grin plastered on his face like he'd just won a lottery, which in a way he sort of had.

"'Cordin to the numbers Inigo's sayin'...we're lookin' at almost eight thousand horseshoes this order," he said, taking a sip from the pumpkin juice on the table as he smirked slightly, eyebrows raised. "And he says the cost can be whatever we think we need fer it."

Across the table, Rhonwen raised an eyebrow and her mouth narrowed, before she looked down and took a bite of the cuccoo roast Link had prepared. "Seems a bit...much. Isn't he working out of Lon Lon Ranch? That place is big, but not that big," she said, sticking the food into her cheek as she talked.

Hrod shrugged at that, putting his large arms behind his head as he looked at the ceiling, closing his brown eyes. "No idea...all I know is that Talon feller used to own the place never worked with us, and this Inigo will. We need the rupee."

Rhonwen sighed, swallowing the food and brushing her hands with the napkin next to her wooden plate as she looked down, breathing in through her nose as she frowned.

"...You're right, but I don't have to like it. And the dinner was excellent, dear," she said, looking at Link, the teenager leaning down in his arms.

Link gave a small smile, his eyes weary and half closed with exhaustion after work that day.

 _Thanks Mom_ , his fingers said, the practiced hand positions coming easily.

Hrod coughed then, looking sheepish as he looked to the side, mouth scrunched up. "Um...I mighta forgot to mention part of the deal with Inigo...just reminded me."

Rhonwen turned her head slightly as her eyes narrowed, Link looking over with a similar expression on his face as they waited on Hrod.

The large red-headed man sighed, scratching at his beard before starting.

"Well, it's a big order...he wants one of us movin' down there for the season while we work on it...he's got a forge set up, the works. Whoever it is needs to leave tomorrow, and I'm thinkin'...well, Link seems the best choice."

Rhonwen's jaw clenched and she looked like she was about to yell, but Hrod put up a hand, eyebrows shooting up as his eyes opened wide. "I know, I know, the anniversary, but the boy'll still have time! Inigo wanted to head down with one of us tonight, it was hard enough convincing him to stay _that_ long!"

Rhonwen's mouth became a thing line, her brow furrowed, but after a moment to collect herself she nodded, her face relaxing.

"...Right. Right, Link, what do you think? Are you okay with this?"

The boy looked forlorn, his eyes downcast and his mouth turned down, but he nodded before raising his hands again.

 _Leave tomorrow...better go then. Need to visit._

His parents both nodded, but stayed seated as the boy began to make his way towards the door, waving slightly as he walked out into the night. They knew well enough by now this was something he preferred to do alone.

The moon was full and round in the sky, shining down white and pure onto the quiet streets of Castle Town, spilling out on the streets and walkways of the tiered city. Nobody was out now, at least nobody respectable, and Link could see the distant shapes of the guards patrolling the main streets...it was light enough tonight that they didn't need torches to guide their way.

Link knew well enough by now how to avoid the guards if he needed to, not that they'd stop him if they knew where he was going. It was hard enough getting them to understand him even if one of them used the old Zora hand signals, and he didn't want to have to go through the hassle of waiting for them to find a guard who knew it just to let him go anyway.

His destination was higher, one tier higher then the Red Lance. The entirety of Castle Town was built almost like a giant spread out wedding cake, with the different tiers of the city covering about the same distance, around a thousand feet each, all except the sprawling ground level of the lower quarter and the majestic Hyrule Castle in the very center, on the highest tier, just one tier above the Red Lance.

Approaching the gate to the Castle Quarter, Link could see the guard sitting above the wooden doors pause for a moment, peering out into the dark.

"Who goes there? State your business or I'll be forced to-"

The man stopped as Link walked into the light, his embarrassed expression lit by the pale moonlight.

"Oh...Link. Sorry, didn't realize it was you...it's almost the fifth of Din then, isn't it?"

Link nodded, and the guard smiled with what seemed almost like nostalgia as he tapped on the bricks in front of him. "Alright, I'll let you through on one condition...tell him I said hi, alright?"

Link bowed dramatically at that, flashing a hand sign quickly.

 _Anything, your highness._

The lowly guard chuckled at that, wiping a single tear from his eye. "You're just like him, you know that?"

The boy shrugged, walking towards the gate.

 _Been said before._

As Link pushed the oak doors open and made his way up the marble stairs behind, his lively expression sobered, a melancholy feeling coming over his features as his brow lowered slightly.

It was a short trip from that point, a well remembered path. From beneath the castle you made a turn to the left, the followed the wall until you hit an ivy-covered gate, marked with a statue of a roaring lion.

Pushing the gate open carefully and making his way into the small area beneath the shadow of the castle, Link was greeted by the familiar sight of rows upon rows of chiseled white markers, carved with a variety of symbols and words, Hylian and otherwise that filled the overgrown courtyard.

The Graveyard of the Lions.

Making his way down the rows, Link found his way quickly to one of the markers near the wall, one of the last ones buried in this spot before they began putting the dead in crypts inside the old Subrosian tunnels underneath the tiers of the city. The marker was engraved with the symbol of the Triforce held aloft by a mighty bird, and Link traced the symbol with his slender fingers for a moment before looking down beneath it, his hands drifting down to feel the engraved words as well.

 _Ty Chevalier  
The King's Red Lion  
Beloved brother and protector  
Taken Too Soon._

"One of our finest. Damn shame, what happened to him."

Link stood up with a start, quickly wiping at his eyes as he started turning towards the sudden voice at the gate.

An older gentleman with greying hair and a stubbled chin walked forwards, dressed in the crimson tabard and tunic of the Red Lions, a hand casually resting on the pommel of his arming sword.

"No, no, don't dry your tears. If anybody deserves them, it's your brother. He was a true patriot, a fine example to you and many others."

Link's brows were lowered over his green eyes, his lips stuck in a scowl as he deliberately raised his hands, his movements quick and violent, like he was trying to punch the air with his fingers.

 _I said no before. Go now_.

The older man just chuckled, crossing his arms over his chest, looking with a measure of disdain at the angry youth before him. Captain Corin was a tough old geezer, and he'd never met anybody quite as stubborn as this, except perhaps the boy's own father.

"I will, I will...just thought I'd come give the offer again. The Queen's Lions can always use capable men to serve her highness."

Link continued to glare, before turning back to to look at the grave in something of a huff, his hand still raised.

 _You knew I was here. How?_

The older man's thin eyes squinted slightly as he looked to the side. "Heard that rancher Inigo talking about how the blacksmith's boy was moving to his ranch to do some work...pretty loud about it too. Too much of the Chateua, I think."

Link didn't respond, and the elderly captain made his way towards the gate in defeat, before turning to look at Link one last time, one hand on the rusted metal portal.

"...Talon's girl Malon still lives at that ranch, with Inigo. You make sure she's safe, alright? I don't trust that man, not with her or that land."

No response came, Link keeping his gaze focused on the grave.

"I need a promise, Chevalier. You keep that girl safe."

Another pause, and Link's hand began to move again, his gaze not leaving the gravestone.

 _By the sweat of my brow and the strength of my shield, no enemy shall harm her._

The captain laughed at that, wheezing slightly at the end as he braced himself against the wall. "You do know...I could have you executed for knowing that oath? That's for Lions, not their kid brothers."

Silence echoed through the courtyard as the night air whistled through the stone walls, and the captain turned away from the boy at the grave, closing the creaking metal gate as he made his way towards the castle. All things considered, this had gone better than hoped.


	4. Chapter 3: The Girl with the Golden Eyes

It was the fourth of Din, and the summer sun stood at the center of the sky like the middle of a massive clockface, the white clouds dancing in lazy circles around its burning eye. Link laid on the back of a caravan of moving wagons heading out from Castle Town gate, his arms crossed behind his head as he gazed up into the sky, the paved street not even jostling the wagons as they made their way down towards the Faron Province in the south.

Hyrule Castle Town, the capitol of Hyrule and seat of the Lanaryu province, was nestled up near the border with the Goron territory of Eldin, the massive tiered structure of the city rising up like a small mountain itself in the foothills of the Death Mountain range, with the sprawling Hylian Field out below, leading down quite a few miles until the farming communities of Faron began to appear.

The wagon was headed for Lon Lon Ranch, the oldest and most influential of these communities, led by a bony, sour looking man by the name of Inigo Editta. After the disappearance of the ranch's previous owner, Talon, the hard-working foreman Inigo had taken control of the estate until such time that Talon's daughter Malon was ready to take over as the stockgrower.

Most, if not all of this information Link had learned that morning as Inigo's crew of employees and other traders had been buying their last-minute supplies and getting the wagons ready to head home. People were more likely to talk to Link then most others. He was mute, after all. Not like he was going to spill the beans to anybody, and with this unusual candidness, the boy had learned some unsettling rumors that brewed in the back of his mind. The men said Inigo had something to do with Talon vanishing off the face of the earth, that he was doing something to keep Malon in line...not that any had any evidence they could present.

The Hylian boy frowned at the clouds as he stewed over the situation. His few impressions of Inigo hadn't been all that flattering. The man had the temper of a man three times his size, and from how he'd exploded at the cost of some replacement wagon wheels, just a touch too focused on his Rupees. However, he couldn't fault the man for being mercantile. He had a ranch to run, one of the largest, and he had some rather daunting boots to fill with Talon missing.

As the wagon continued along, Link could feel a shift in weight, the wagon leaning ever so slightly more towards the back. Looking over his own head, he could make out the top of a mane of fiery red hair peaking out over the wagon's edge. As the blacksmith raised an eyebrow, a light giggle just barely loud enough to be heard over the rolling wagon wheels.

Link looked back up at the clouds, a small grin finding its way to his lips as he shifted his arms, putting a leg over the other, trying his hardest to look like he hadn't noticed the newest passenger. After about twenty seconds, he could feel the wagon moving slightly as the redhead moved more onto the wagon, and Link braced himself for whatever was coming.

"BOO!"

Link acted the part well, sitting bolt upright and looking from left to right frantically, eyebrows comically raised before he slowly turned to look behind him, trying his hardest not to grin as widely as he could while doing so.

Sitting at the back of the wagon was a young girl, maybe seven years old, her red hair somewhat ruffled. Her skin was an oliveshade and the eyes peaking out from behind her bangs were golden. Whoever the girl was she was a Gerudo, although her tan dress andcarved wooden necklace were distinctively Hylian in appearance, much like what Link had seen on the others from the Faron Province.

A toothy smile lit up on the girl's face as she looked at Link, a sort of giddy excitement in her eyes.

"Did I scare ya? Did I?"

The blacksmith tried to keep his composure, eyebrows lowering over his steely eyes as he struggled to keep his mouth a straight line as he nodded a few times, but the girl's mouth turned to a frown as she folded her arms, making a huffing sound.

"You weren't scared, ya big liar," she said, the excitement gone from her voice. "What gave me away?"

Link's mouth stuck slightly out and to the side as he furrowed his brow, looking up and to the right as he thought for a moment about how to respond to the girl. After a moment's consideration, the boy raised up his hands and started doing the Zoran hand signals.

The girl, still pouting, looked grumpily at him. "Ya going to say anythin' or just move your fingers around like an idjit?"

Link made a silent groan, putting down his hands as he tried to figure out how to explain this to the little girl. After a moment, he opened his mouth and closed it, making no noise while pointing at his mouth, then shook his head.

The girl just stared at him, her forehead scrunched as her mouth hung slightly agape.

"I don't get it."

Sighing to himself, Link loosened the straps holding his collar together, exposing his neck. The familiar, ugly scar became visible, stretching from just below his chin on the left to the collarbone on the right, still looking for all the world like an ugly scab despite all the years he'd had it.

The girl's eyes widened as she saw the wound, a dawning comprehension coming to her.

"Oh...you, uh...can't talk?" she asked, obviously awkward. "That sucks."

Link shrugged, closing his eyes and raising his eyebrows ashe shook his right hand side to side. There were moments it was bad, when people couldn't understand him at all, but he made it work.

The girl adjusted how she was sitting, crossing her legs and putting her arms on the edge of the wagon, smiling that same toothy grin.

"Anyway, I'm Malon! You some sort of greenhorn we picked up or somethin'?"

Link turned his head slightly at that. So this was Talon's daughter? He hadn't heard that his wife was Gerudo, but from what he'd heard of the Faron province it wasn't overly surprising. Though Hyrule Castle Town was still overwhelmingly Hylian, he knew Faron had a sizable Gerudo population.

Breathing through his nose slightly, the blacksmith pondered how to explain the situation without words. He had nothing to write with and she didn't understand the signals...

Snapping his fingers, he reached over towards the bundle he'd packed his belongings into for the trip. Maybe if he showed her a piece of his work, she'd understand what he was going to be doing around the ranch over the summer.

Untying the rope slightly, Link pulled back the woolen bundle, exposing one of his more prized possessions. Carefully gripping the handle, Link delicately pulled out a sword.

The blade of the sword was 35 inches total, plus the handle, but Link held it almost effortlessly, twisting and turning it in the midday sun as the light caught the reflective surface. It wasn't the finest looking sword, but it was well built, and carefully etched just above the crossguard was a somewhat wonky Triforce symbol. Link turned the sword and put it in his lap, planning on pantomiming hitting it with a hammer when he caught Malon's overjoyed expression, the little girl looking almost like she had literal tears in her eyes as her mouth hung open. After a few confused moments, she closed her mouth for a moment, the look of amazement seeming almost permanent.

"You're a _knight_!"

Link's face remained motionless as he stared at the girl, not sure what to do. The sword sat in his lap, and here this girl thought he was a knight. Should he tell her the truth? How would he even do that? And even if he could...she seemed so excited to have a knight heading to the ranch, and the unsettling rumors about Inigo came back from the back of his mind. What if there was a reason she was so excited? And besides...he _had_ sworn an oath.

Going against all of his own better judgment, Link nodded, trying to not look incredibly guilty while he did so.

The girl yelped slightly, her hands clasped together as she seemed to shake with how excited she was.

"Finally!I've been telling the other hands we needed a knight around...my pa's still missin', and Mr. Inigo..." her mouth turned to a frown and her eyes lowered. "...Mr. Inigo's been acting mighty 'spcious."

As the girl looked troubled for a moment, Link started to reconsider his lie. This girl was expecting him to save her and her father without any authority, without any leads, and he was just a simple blacksmith's son. His brother had been the knight, not him.

But as the girl's smile returned slightly, softer and not toothy and wide this time, she looked down at the bottom of the wagon.

"...We're gonna find you, pa."

Link's grip tightened on the sword's hilt as they continued down the road towards the ranch. He was no knight, but maybe...maybe just this once he could be like Ty.

Maybe this time he would be the hero.


End file.
